This archive report was first published on 23 May 2020.
On May 23, 2020, a COVID-19 alert was sounded in Nyeri's Karatina town after two carpenters who had sneaked in from Nairobi, which was under a containment order, were found working at a workshop in the town centre.
The two carpenters had evaded a police roadblock at Chania in Thika, northeast of Nairobi, which was set up to curtail movement of people in and out of the city to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Public health officials quarantined the duo on Saturday at Wambugu Agricultural Training Institute after members of the public alerted police of their presence.
The owner of the workshop, which manufactures coffins, has been advised to self-quarantine herself at home for the next fourteen days.
Officer Commanding Police Division in Mathira East, Thomas Baraza, confirmed the incident, stating that members of the public discovered the two carpenters working at the workshop and immediately alerted area assistant chiefs and public health officers.
When health officials interrogated the duo, they gave contradictory statements on how they had arrived in Karatina, forcing them to make a decision to quarantine them to facilitate COVID-19 tests.
